


Harlequin

by SilverKitsune



Series: Purple Prose AU [1]
Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: M/M, Post Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 09:13:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7971364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverKitsune/pseuds/SilverKitsune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Sorey discovers trashy romance novels had been written about their journey, and Mikleo suffers for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Harlequin

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Statement released by Mikleo, 200 years after Sorey's sleep began](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7972993) by [talesofsymphoniac](https://archiveofourown.org/users/talesofsymphoniac/pseuds/talesofsymphoniac). 



> Inspired by [this](https://soymilkheaven.tumblr.com/post/150013253556/statement-released-by-mikleo-200-years-after) set of tumblr posts.

Sheets rustled as Sorey turned in bed, shifting to a more comfortable position that would allow him to continue reading. He turned to his side, allowing just enough light to shine over the cover of the book to allow him to keep reading.

“Still awake?” Mikleo groggily asked from the other side of their shared bed in their Elysia home.

“Mmm,” he replied, “did enough sleeping for a while I think.”

“What do you have there?”

“Oh, a book from your collection. Edna recommended it, and Zaveid seconded that recommendation the last time we met up in Ladylake,” Sorey replied, still engrossed in his reading. “They were very insistent I read it. They called it a classic.”

A moment of silence rang out in the room, and Sorey rolled over once more, giving Mikleo a perfect close up of the book's cover.

On it was a horribly inaccurate drawing of a shirtless Sorey (his jawline was never that square, for one thing, and while he'd always been fit, he'd never been body builder muscular), and an equally inaccurate drawing of, well, himself wantonly sprawled over not-Sorey's body. The words “In the Arms of the Shepherd” were scrawled on the cover, in stereotypical trashy romance novel font.

Oh yes. _That_ one. The first of many such books, after his statement some 200 years after Sorey had gone to sleep, and easily the worst of them as well. So bad, well, there were nights he was reading the book and he could swear the book was bleeding purple.

And here Sorey was, completely engrossed in reading it.

 _There . . . couldn't be any harm in it, right? Just a little late night reading_ , he told himself. “I'm going back to sleep; don't strain your eyes.”

A distracted hum was the only answer he got.

* * *

A week later, they, along with Edna, Zaveid, and Lailah, stood atop a cliff, watching the sun set over Ladylake, now a bustling metropolis. A new movie had just opened there, Tales of Passion Lighting the World, a new (more historically accurate! At least, so the promotional posters claimed) film chronicling the legendary journey of the Shepherd Sorey and Grand Seraph Mikleo, and the group had decided to use it as an excuse to meet up. As expected, the movie left much to be desired in the accuracy department, although Mikleo did have to give the movie makers props for getting the costumes mostly accurate. Along with props to the movie theater for reserving the best seat in the house for him.

Sorey slipped behind Mikleo, arms wrapping around his waist to murmur in his ear, “You're so beautiful in the sunset like this.”

A blush crept over his face – he's still not used to Sorey's forward compliments in the months since he awoke – even as his heart beat a little faster. He twisted around in the embrace to look at Sorey over his shoulder.

“Mmmm,” Sorey continued, “it suits you so well; your hair the color of pale aquamarine, your lovely translucent skin, your sophisticated violet eyes . . .”

Mikleo froze on the spot as he recognized just _where_ that quote came from. And then sighed, because there was no mistaking the sincerity in Sorey's voice either. He stole a glance off to the other side, where the rest of their little group was carefully pretending to be Not Watching them with baited breath.

At least, Lailah was, having shyly hidden her smile behind a fan paper sheets, embarrassed to have been caught eavesdropping on the clearly intimate conversation. Or, well, as intimate as it could be when one half of the couple was quoting a trashy romance novel.  Zaveid, on the other hand, had clearly heard everything that was said on the wind, and was now giving a very bright smile and a thumbs up.

As for Edna . . . “Just admit it, Blushyleo. You liked that quote.”

**Author's Note:**

> And yes, that was a paraphrase from the novelization. Because I haven't had a chance to use it in a fic yet, and it seemed rather appropriate to use it here. And of course Sorey would be one to say it with a straight face. Now with a [ thrilling excerpt](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7973758) of just what Sorey was reading, courtesy of eachainn/spirithorse on tumblr/AO3.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Statement released by Mikleo, 200 years after Sorey's sleep began](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7972993) by [talesofsymphoniac](https://archiveofourown.org/users/talesofsymphoniac/pseuds/talesofsymphoniac)




End file.
